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Appendix: Building LCA and BIM Practices in Estonia

Building LCA in Estonia

Interviewees’ background

The interviewed LCA expert has worked in LCA over 8 years and international working background, now working locally in Estonia.

National building LCA regulation

As of the current moment, Estonia does not have established national regulations mandating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) calculations in the construction sector. However, the Ministry of Climate has set forth a roadmap for future regulations. According to this plan, all public buildings will be required to undergo LCA calculations in 2025, extending this requirement to all buildings later on.
An initial draft methodology
 designed for new construction projects was introduced in early 2022. BuildEST
 project funded by Life IP aims to refine the draft method and to adjust method to accommodate renovation projects. This adapted methodology is anticipated to serve as the foundational basis for the forthcoming regulations.
The scope of these impending regulations remains under active discussion and has yet to be finalised. Regarding the stage at which LCA calculations will be obligatory, it is anticipated that if the forthcoming regulations align with the Building Energy Performance requirement, LCA calculations will become a prerequisite for obtaining a building permit.
The methods for setting limit values in LCA calculations are currently being examined. Discussions are underway to decide whether these values should be determined through statistical analysis or by using reference buildings as a benchmark.
While Building Information Modeling (BIM) is not a mandated requirement for securing a building permit at present, it is often included as part of project requirements set forth by individual developers. In these instances, the national ÜBN
 standards are most commonly applied.

Methodology

Currently, the Level(s) method predominantly serves as the methodology for conducting Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) in Estonia. In some exceptional cases, the national draft method is also applied. The practice of conducting building LCAs is still relatively rare. Nonetheless, there is an emerging interest from certain clients in incorporating LCAs into their construction processes. These clients generally perceive the utility of LCAs for enhancing their understanding of sustainable construction and are keen to acquire practical experience. When LCAs are ordered, they are most frequently conducted during the Preliminary Design (“eel-projekt”, EP) and Technical Design (“põhiprojekt”, PP) phases of a project.
Since there is no requirement for LCAs then the assessments are typically conducted if there is interest from an international investor or if the developer is particularly innovative and future focused. In some design contests, participants have had to calculate the carbon footprint of their design using a special calculator provided by the organiser. However, it's still uncertain whether this requirement has actually helped to reduce carbon emissions. Greater collaboration with private businesses is needed to figure out the best way to include Lifecycle Assessments in regular practice.

System boundaries

In Estonia, there are currently no established national guidelines for building carbon footprint calculations. Concerning the time frame for these assessments, a 50-year period is proposed in the current draft, which is expected to be followed in future regulation. Modules A1-A5, B4, B6, and C1-C4 are planned, with Module D designated as an informative module. It should be noted that Module D falls outside the system scope and will thus be excluded from any limit values.
With respect to exclusions of building types or components, although not yet definitively decided, the draft currently includes all structures except for external areas and auxiliary buildings like asphalt coverings and stand-alone parking areas. However, parking facilities directly attached to the main building are expected to be included in the scope of the calculations.

Operational energy use calculation

In terms of the methodology for calculating energy use in the operational phase, the prevailing plan is to align with the energy performance minimum requirement methodology, although this remains subject to final confirmation.
Lastly, as for deconstructed building parts, there is currently no intention to account for deconstructions within the LCA framework. However, this aspect is slated for further investigation as part of the ongoing Life IP project.

Level of detail in calculating and reporting building LCA

In the preliminary guidelines for LCA calculation needed for building permits, various assumptions are outlined regarding LCA data. It is likely, but not yet confirmed, that these assumptions will become official parts of the LCA requirements for obtaining building permits. Among these assumptions are:
  • Transportation Distances: Predetermined distances for the transportation of various types of materials are specified.
  • Material On-Site Wastage Percent: Utilised specifically for calculating the A5 module, this takes into account the percentage of material wastage on the construction site.
  • Construction site impacts: Impacts arising from construction sites are calculated using a default value, which is derived from a study specifically conducted for the Estonian context. This default value for average site impacts is correlated with the building's gross floor area.
  • Building Material Service Life: For the B4 module, default values specifying the expected service life of various building materials are included.
  • Operational Energy Consumption: In the B6 module, emission factors are supplied to facilitate calculations. It should be noted that these factors are due for an update in the near future as Estonia transitions from the draft to the finalised national method.
  • Material Processing and Transport: Within the C module, default values are stipulated for material processing based on the material type. Additionally, default values for material transport distance and associated demolition and landfilling impacts are included.
    Given that the methodology is currently in its draft stage, these assumptions are subject to review and potential revision as the national method is further developed.
    In the current draft guidelines for LCA reporting, there are specific requirements for how the environmental impacts should be presented. The report should break down the impacts by each stage of the building's life cycle, as well as by different parts of the building itself. In addition, the guidelines ask for the total environmental impacts for the entire building to be reported. These should also be calculated and presented per square meter of heated floor area, and further broken down to show these impacts on an annual basis per square meter of heated floor area. As these are still draft guidelines, they may be updated in the final version of the national methodology.

    Accepted data sources

    Currently, Estonia possesses a draft version of a national material emission database
    . It is anticipated that in the beginning of 2024, the newly established Climate Ministry will publish a dedicated website to consolidate this data, along with any Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) issued by local building product manufacturers. As it stands, the database exists as a standalone spreadsheet within the draft method calculator and comprises 47 building materials, in addition to a selection of default values.
    While final determinations have yet to be made, there is a plan to permit the use of EPD data alongside the national database during the building permit phase. Any such data must be structured to reflect the building's performance, rather than specifying which building product manufacturer will be utilised. This approach aligns with Estonia's tendering system, which prohibits the identification of specific manufacturers at the building permit application stage.
    Presently, Finnish data from co2data.fi and generic data from ökobau.dat are also frequently employed in various instances.

    Building LCA tools

    Currently, One Click LCA is the main tool used for building LCA studies in Estonia. An Excel-based calculator designed to match the national draft method has not been validated yet, so it's not in use. The validation process for this tool is planned to be completed as part of the Life IP project. Additionally, a new open-source tool, being developed by the Tallinn University of Technology, is expected to be introduced to the market in 2024.
    SimaPro is used in some places but isn't common because it's not specifically for construction LCA. One Click LCA is the preferred tool mainly because it works well with Building Information Modeling (BIM) data.

    BIM practices in Estonia

    Interviewees’ background

    Two BIM experts were interviewed. The first BIM expert has over 10 years’ experience, international working background and now working locally in Estonia. The other BIM expert works as a BIM manager/coordinator for construction projects.

    The use of BIM

    BIM is commonly used in larger projects across various disciplines. The use of BIM is not dictated by the type of building but rather by the specific requirements of the project. Today, BIM is usually not used for private house designing.
    From the preliminary design phase onwards, BIM is used in any larger project and often extends to the as-built model stage. For reconstruction projects, BIM models aren’t created if the reconstruction scope is rather small. For the reconstruction of unique and complex buildings, BIM is typically used.
    Architectural design is modelled usually from the Schematic Phase and continues until the Technical Design Phase. Structural BIM modelling usually starts in the second half of the preliminary design phase by designing the main load-bearing systems. It gets more detailed in the following design stages (principal and operational building design phases). HVAC BIM design starts in the preliminary design phase by placing the main ducts for the ventilation system and shafts for the various communications. In the principal design phase, all of the main components of the HVAC system are modelled. Architecture mainly uses ArchiCad, Revit and Bently Microstation as BIM design tools. Structural engineers mainly use Revit or Tekla Structures. MEP designers use mainly Revit and MagiCAD, Cadmatic is main software for electricity and Autodesk Civil3d for infraBIM. IDA-ICE is also used for energy simulations.
    Softwares such as BIMcollab Zoom, Solibri and Trimble Connect are most typically used to check the BIM models by comparing the various disciplines (Structural vs Architectural, HVAC vs Structural and so) for geometrical clashes, functionality errors and semantic content.
    The most active local consortium in Estonia is Digital Construction Cluster, which has members across the construction sector, from material manufacturers to developers, including universities (Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn Technical College, Estonian Academy of Arts). The cluster works with experts and authorities to advance digital construction and BIM through training and technology partnerships.

    BIM guidelines

    Separate organisations have their own internal guidelines for BIM use. Some have more detailed guidelines, while others are still developing theirs. Every project typically comes with a specific BIM Execution Plan, which outlines the rules for modelling. These plans and guidelines are generally created to meet ÜBN
     BIM requirements. The requirements are developed by the public sector in hand with the private sector. Estonian Centre for Standardisation and Accreditation (EVS) TK 50 (Technical Committee nr 50 - BIM) is responsible for maintaining and updating ÜBN requirements. Delegates from Ministry of Climate are also participating in that group and giving input especially regarding regulatory information requirements.
    The specifications for level of development (LOD) and element data are described with ÜBN requirements
    . Level of geometry (LOG) is specified using BIM Forum guidelines. 
    It is planned that from the beginning of 2024, it will be possible to apply for the building permit by uploading the BIM model to EHR (Estonian Building Registry). If BIM-based building permit is selected, then models must be in open format (IFC) and meet ÜBN BIM requirements.  However, there is no national BIM mandate for permitting processes or creating construction designs.

    Naming conventions

    In Estonia, there is no specific classification system used in projects today. CCI-EE is developed and covers, to some extent, materials as well, but still not in wide use as there is no requirement to do so. There are some forerunners like TalTech University and the Estonian Transport Administration.
    In material type classification, structural engineers typically determine the materials and types for major building elements like walls, slabs, and roofs based on structural analysis. Architects usually follow these decisions. Architects primarily focus on selecting materials for the facade as well as the types and materials for openings.
    ÜBN requirements do not have materials specified yet, but it is a work in progress, along with binding BIM data with CCI.

    Quantity take-off

    Design specifications (that include quantity take-offs) are done inside of the main authoring tools: ArchiCAD, Revit, Solibri, Trimble Connect, Tekla, SimpleBIM and others. For data transfer, an IFC format is used, as well as for handover delivery to the client. BCF format is used for model-based communication and issue management in a cloud environment (BIMcollab Server) and Trimble Connect also uses the cloud platform.
    When it comes to BIM-based quantity take-off, often the problem lies in the underlying data. Still, also there are no clear rules for IFC export, and in some cases, there is a lack of skill among BIM practitioners on how to export IFC without losing any material data.
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